Barbara Dickson was born in Dunfermline, Scotland. Her singing career started in folk clubs around her native Fife in the sixties, exposing her to a rich combination of traditional and contemporary music.
In the early seventies, she sang at a Liverpool folk club run by a young student teacher called Willy Russell. He showed Barbara the first draft of what would later become the award winning musical, ‘John, Paul, George, Ringo….and Bert’ and asked her to perform the music. The combination of fine writing, a superb cast of young unknowns, (including Antony Sher, Bernard Hill and Trevor Eve) and Barbara’s idiosyncratic interpretation of Beatles songs made the show hugely successful.
The show’s co-producer, Robert Stigwood, signed Barbara to his record label, RSO Records, where she recorded the album ‘Answer Me’, the title track becoming a top ten hit in l976. This led to her guest residency on the much loved series ‘The Two Ronnies’, which brought Barbara’s singing to the attention of more than 10 million viewers every week.
Also impressed by Barbara’s performance were Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who invited her to record ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’ from the new musical ‘Evita’, which became her second hit in l977. Other hits including ‘The Caravan Song’ and ‘January, February’, followed in 1980.
In 1982, Willy Russell asked Barbara to star in his new musical ‘Blood Brothers’ in the pivotal role of the mother, Mrs. Johnstone. Although at first reluctant to accept, having never acted before, (not even in a school play!), she rose to the challenge, in the process garnering critical acclaim as well as Actress of the Year in a Musical from the Society of West End Theatres in 1984.
Later that year, Tim Rice approached Barbara to take part in the cast album recording of the musical ‘Chess’, which included the song ‘I Know Him So Well’, a duet sung with Elaine Paige. This song remained at number one in the UK charts for several weeks and went on to become a worldwide hit.
In the 1990’s Barbara appeared in various TV dramas including ‘Taggart’, the award-winning ‘Band of Gold’ and ‘The Missing Postman’.
Acclaimed writer and director Chris Bond created a show for Barbara in 1996 called ‘The Seven Ages of Woman’ which won her the Liverpool Echo Actress of the Year Award. It premiered at the Liverpool Playhouse and toured extensively in 1997 and 1998.
In 1999 and 2000, Barbara starred in ‘Spend, Spend, Spend’, a new musical by Steve Brown and Justin Greene. The show, based on the rollercoaster life story of pools winner Viv Nicholson, played in the West End to capacity audiences. For her portrayal of Viv, Barbara was awarded ‘Best Actress in a Musical’ at the 2000 Laurence Olivier Awards.
In 2004 she had great success with ‘The Platinum Collection’, which featured some of her most successful recordings, and ‘Full Circle’, a journey back through her musical history.
Barbara’s 2006 CD featured an eclectic collection of the songs of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison called ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change my World.’
Barbara continues to tour, playing to sell-out audiences throughout the UK. She has recently been acting again on television in the BBC drama series ‘Doctors’ and she has also just completed her first appearances on Channel 4’s long-running quiz show ‘Countdown’. Barbara is also due to appear on ‘Songs of Praise’ in April 2008, where she will perform a new arrangement of the beautiful hymn ‘My Song is Love Unknown’.
The new CD, ‘Time and Tide’, released in January 2008, again features the bold new direction which Barbara is making a feature of her music, by blending old and new songs together with a distinctive atmosphere prevailing throughout. It features such varied songs as ‘Lady Franklin’s Lament’ and ‘Palm Sunday’, the first writing collaboration between Troy Donockley and Barbara. The album is produced by Troy.
The new DVD, ‘Into the Light’, a concert recording from November 2007, has also recently been released and it includes, as well as Barbara’s hits, several tracks from the new CD and other favourites she has made her own through the years.
As a multi-million selling recording artist with an equally impressive Olivier award-winning acting career Barbara has firmly established herself as one of the most versatile performers in the UK. 2008 will see her celebrating 40 years as a professional musician.
Barbara is a Companion of Liverpool’s LIPA and a Fellow of Liverpool’s John Moores University.
Married with three sons, Barbara lives in Lincolnshire.
She was conferred with an O.B.E. in the Queen's New Year’s Honours in 2002.
